Bicycle child seats, sometimes referred to as bicycle baby-seats, are usually mounted to the rear of a bicycle to permit transportation of a child on the bicycle in a safe manner. A bicycle child seat generally comprises a seat module comprising a seat section, a back rest section and a leg rest section. Each section is usually anatomically shaped to provide a comfortable position for the child during transportation. Safety straps, also referred to as safety belts, are used to retain the child to the bicycle child seat.
Some bicycle child seats are adapted to accommodate a sleeping child, and especially sleeping babies. To permit a child to fall asleep easier, and to stay asleep, the seat module can be pivotably attached to an attachment module, which in turn is mounted to the bicycle. The seat module can thus be pivotable between an upraised position, in which the child sits in an orderly fashion, and a rest position, in which the child can sleep substantially in a horizontal position, or at least sit in a slightly more angled position.
A pivotable bicycle baby-seat is disclosed in the European patent application No. EP 0,832,811 A1, STAMP S.r.l. The bicycle baby-seat comprises a seat and a back rest, the bicycle baby-seat also comprises attachment means to attach the bicycle baby-seat to the bicycle. The seat and back rest can be pivoted between an upraised position and a rest position using an adjustable support arrangement having a frame like structure and extendable pistons. The back rest is pivotally connected to the adjustable support arrangement substantially at the center of the back rest, and thus pivots substantially about the center of the back rest between the upraised position and the rest position. When displacing the bicycle baby-seat between the upraised position and the rest position, the center of gravity is displaced in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction.
In another embodiment, the seat and the back rest is pivotally connected to the top of the back rest, i.e. substantially at the uppermost edge of the back rest, and thus pivot substantially about the top of the back rest between the upraised position and the rest position. Similar to the earlier embodiment, when displacing the bicycle baby-seat between the upraised position and the rest position, the center of gravity is displaced in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction.
In yet another embodiment, the seat of the bicycle baby-seat is slidably connected to the adjustable support arrangement. The seat and the back rest slip between the upraised position and the rest position along an arc shaped curvature. Similar to the earlier embodiments, when sliding the bicycle baby-seat between the upraised position and the rest position, the center of gravity is displaced in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction. Further, sliding mechanisms tends to rely on low friction between the sliding surfaces which in practice has been found to be difficult to achieve without using expensive materials or wheel-based solutions.
The mentioned solutions are said to keep the center of gravity substantially unchanged when displacing the seat and the back rest between the upraised position and the rest position. However it is obvious that this is not the case.
It can thus be understood that there are some drawbacks of the known prior art. The disclosed solutions displace the center of gravity in both a horizontal direction and a vertical direction when displacing the seat and the back rest between the upraised position and the rest position. This implies that the user has to move or to some extent even lift the weight of the child when displacing the seat and the back rest. It also implies that when a user unlocks the seat module to displace it there is a risk that the seat module is accidentally displaced if the user is not ready to receive or retain the seat module in position.
In yet another embodiment disclosed in EP 0,832,811 A1, the back rest is pivotable with respect to the seat itself. Such solutions are however inferior compared to solutions in which the whole seat module is displaced as one unitary piece. When displacing a back rest with respect to the seat, a child is positioned in a substantially laid down posture. When displacing both the seat and the back rest, the child will take a more favorable posture of an angled sitting position. Sitting in an angled position, the seat itself is assisting the passenger, i.e. the child, during a fast retardation.